williams



A. H. WILLIAMS BOX MAKING APPARATUS March 3, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 15, 1962 March 3, 1964 H. WILLIAMS 3,122,975

BOX MAKING APPARATUS Filed May 15, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 3, 1964 A. H. WILLIAMS BOX MAKING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 15, 1962 March 3, 1964 A. H. WILLIAMS BOX MAKING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 15, 1962 nits This invention is for improvements in or relating to box making apparatus of the type in which cardboard or the like boxes are carried on an endless belt conveyor to an acquiring station and a transfer device moves between the acquiring station whereat it acquires the box by suction elements and a delivery station from which the transfer device returns to the acquiring station to acquire the next box carried by the conveyor and so on.

Primarily the apparatus is of the type wherein the boxes are on gummed wrappers located on the conveyor by suction from the conveyor, the transfer device having forward and side suction elements for acquiring the boxes by suction from the elements on forward and side projecting flaps of the gummed wrappers.

An object of the invention is to ensure that return of the transfer device to the acquiring station does not undesirably result in fouling of the gummed wrapper by the transfer device with the box being satisfactorily acquired by the transfer device at the acquiring station and released at the delivery station.

The invention provides in box making apparatus of the type referred to, means for raising and lowering of box carrying portions of the conveyor belt at the acquiring station, the arrangement being such that the lowering is effected for the return of the transfer device to the acquiring station to avoid fouling of the gummed wrapper by the transfer device, and the raising is efiected to raise the gummed wrapper into suction-applying engagement with the suction elements of the transfer device. Conveniently there is provided in combination with said means either, means for applying the suction to the suction elements continuously, or, switch means for switching the suction to said elements on and off when the transfer device is at the acquiring and delivery stations respectively. Conveniently also, in addition to rotary cam operated means for operating the transfer device, associated rotary cam operated means is provided for efiecting the raising and lowering of said conveyor belt portions.

More specifically there is provided under the upper lap of the conveyor belt, at the acquiring station, a bearing plate mounted between side guide walls for the conveyor belt for short raising and lowering movements in which it raises and lowers said portions of the conveyor belt under control of suitable operating mechanism, such as said rotary operated mechanism, acting on the bearing plate.

The above and other features of the invention set out in the appended claims are incorporated in the construction which will now be described, as a specific embodiment with reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a general side view of cardboard box or the like conveyor means of apparatus according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a similar view of FIGURE 1 showing parts in different positions.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional View of parts of the apparatus at an acquiring station.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic perspective View of a transfer device of the apparatus.

FIGURE 5 is a broken perspective view of parts of belt raising and lowering means of the apparatus.

Referring now to FI URE 1 the conveying means comprises a support frame 1 and an endless conveyor belt 2 3,122,975 Patented Mar. 3, 1964 mounted between side guide walls 3 and which has perforations 2a through which suction is applied from within the driven conveyor.

The conveyor functions to convey cardboard or other boxes on gummed wrappers at intervals from a gumming machine to an acquiring station indicated at A.

In addition there is a transfer device indicated generally at 4 which has movements between the acquiring station A as shown in FIGURE 2 and a delivery station E as shown in FlGURE 1 beyond the delivery end of the conveyor and whereat there is a wrapping machine.

More specifically the frame 1 has fixed on it by brackets such as 5, 6 side guide rails 7 8 (see FIGURE 4), and the transfer device 4- consists of a pair or" wide side plates 9, it) slidably mounted by slides such as 11, 12 on the guide rails 7, S.

For effecting the movement, the side plates 9, 1d are bridged by a hollow rod 13 having end extensions 13a, 13b to which there are connected links l4, 15 attached to lever arms l6, 17 respectively, latter being pivoted (FIGURE 1) such as at 16a and having a cam follower 16b in a cam track 38a of a rotary cam l d on a cam shaft 19 driven by an electric motor 2 through drive transmitting means 23.

The transfer device carries suction elements comprising two forward suction elements such as 22 (FIGURE 4) adjustably mounted in slots 2:, Mia in the side plates 9, it and two opposite side suction elements such as 23, adiustably mounted on outrigger brackets such as 2% carried by the side plates 9, iii.

For application of suction to these elements there is a motor driven pump 2% from which piping P is taken to the end 13b of the hollow rod 13 and piping loops Pi, P2 connect between the hollow rod 13 and ducts such as 9b in the side plates 9, it? which lead, in this example, to any known or approved on and off control valves such as 26. Extending from the control valves there are lengths of telescopic piping such as P3 which lead to the forward suction elements such as 22 and enable their adjustment and from which piping such as P4 connects to the side suction elements such as 23.

For control of the suction in this example, the control valves such as 26 have offset operating fingers such as 26a, 2612, the lingers 26:! being operable by cams such as 2'7 fixed on the side guides 7, 8 for cutting off the suction, and the fingers 26b being operable by cams such as 2-8 fixed on the side guides widely spaced from the cams such as 27 for applying the suction.

At the acquiring station A there is provided conveyor raising and lowering means comprising a bearing plate 29 (FIGURES 3 and 5 having forward and rearward depending flanges 29a, 2% and disposed immediately under the upper lap of the conveyor belt 2. This plate is mounted between the side walls 3 or" the conveyor by means of forward and rearward rods 36, 31 having bearings in the conveyor side walls 3, short arms 32, 33, 34, 35 spaced on rods 35, 31, and four ll-shaped brackets 36 to 39 to which the short arms are pivoted and which are secured to the underside of the plate 255.

For raising and lowering the plate 29, the rod 31* has a short arm 1? on one end of it, and rod 31 has a plate 41 on the corresponding end of it. The plate 41 is connected to the short arm 4% by a lini; 42 and by a link 43 (FIGURE 1) to a cam follower lever 44 with cam follower 45 riding on a rotary cam 46.

The plate 29 has large perforations 223a (FIGURES 3 and 5) for the conveyor suction and the ar ngem nt is such that with the plate 29 in its lower position, as in full lines in FIGURE 3, the conveyor belt is normal and its upper lap is spaced a short distance, say /3, below the level of the underside of the suction elements such U as 22, 23 on the transfer device, and in its raised position, as in broken lines in FIGURE 3, the plate 29 raises the upper lap of the conveyor belt substantially to the level of the underside of the suction elements.

In operation of the apparatus, each time a box BX FIGURE 3 on a gummed wrapper G is carried by the transfer device, upon operation of the cams 18, to the delivery station E FIGURE 1 the forward cams such as 27 operate in this example the valve-operating fingers such as 25a to cut ofi the suction to the suction elements such as 22, 23 whereby the box is relinquished to the Wrapping machine. Upon return of the empty transfer device, by further operation of the cam 18, it becomes positioned at the acquiring station A FIGURE 2 ready to acquire the next box on a gummed Wrapper G FIG- URE 3. It is important to note that during this return the plate 29 is in its lower position whereat the gummed wrapper G is held on the lowered upper lap of the conveyor belt suificiently below the underneath of the suction elements such as 22., 23 to ensure that should the gummed wrapper not be flat down on the conveyor belt the suction elements will not foul it.

When the valve-operating fingers such as 26]) approach the cams such as 23, FTGURE 2, operation of the cam 46 causes raising of the plate 29 which raises the upper lap of the conveyor belt, and consequently the gummed wrapper G, FIGURE 3, substantially to the level of the suction elements such as 22, 23, as indicated in broken lines.

Consequently when the valve-operating fingers such as 2617 strike the cams such as 23 to apply the suction, the transfer device acquires the box by the gummed wrapper G becoming held to it by the suction elements.

The raising of the gummed wrapper is of course necessary for the suction of the suction elements to have any effect on the gummed wrapper, and it will be appreciated that the suction of the suction elements is arranged by conventional means to be of greater power than that of the suction of the conveyor for the gummed wrapper to be relinquished by the conveyor to the transfer device.

Also associated with the cam operated mechanism referred to there may be a cam follower lever 47 connected by a link 43 to a lever 49, the latter carrying an adjustable holding down device 50, which is moved downwardly from an upper inoperative position to an operative position holding down the box and returned at required times.

In a modification, which it is not deemed necessary to illustrate by virtue of its sim licity, the control valve 26 together with the fingers 26a, 26b and the cams 27, 28

are dispensed with, and the piping loops P1, P2 are connected directly to the telescopic piping such as P3. Consequently in this arrangement the suction is applied continuously.

What I claim is:

1. Transfer apparatus, as for boxes and wrappers therefor having extended glue-coated flaps, comprising in combination, a conveyor belt having a normal fixed level of travel and carrying a Wrapper sheet thereon to be lifted at a transfer position, a transfer device having wrapper pick-up elements travelling at a level above said conveyor such that said pick-up elements are normally not effective to pick up said wrapper, said transfer device being movable to and from said transfer position, and means for raising a portion of said conveyor with said wrapper thereon at said transfer position to raise the wrapper into a position where it is picked up by said pick-up elements when the transfer device is located at the transfer position.

2. Transfer apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said conveyor belt is perforated for the application of suction therebelow to hold the wrapper on the belt, said means for raising the conveyor at the transfer position comprising a perforated plate positioned beneath the belt, and means for raising and lowering said plate with a portion of the belt thereon in timed relationship with the operation of said transfer device.

3. Transfer apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which said transfer device and said plate are operated from cams on a common cam shaft.

4. Transfer apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which said pick-up elements are suction devices, and means for applying suction at said suction devices from the time the belt is raised to place the Wrapper in position to be picked up until the Wrapper is discharged at the other end of the stroke of the transfer device.

5. Transfer apparatus as set forth in claim 4, in which a valve is provided for controlling the vacuum at said suction devices, said valve having operating elements operated by said transfer device at the ends of its stroke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,751,222 Dexter June 19, 1956 2,853,298 Faeber Sept. 23, 1958 3,045,561 Schempp July 24, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 946,734 France Dec. 27, 1948 

1. TRANSFER APPARATUS, AS FOR BOXES AND WRAPPERS THEREFOR HAVING EXTENDED GLUE-COATED FLAPS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A CONVEYOR BELT HAVING A NORMAL FIXED LEVEL OF TRAVEL AND CARRYING A WRAPPER SHEET THEREON TO BE LIFTED AT A TRANSFER POSITION, A TRANSFER DEVICE HAVING WRAPPER PICK-UP ELEMENTS TRAVELLING AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR SUCH THAT SAID PICK-UP ELEMENTS ARE NORMALLY NOT EFFECTIVE TO PICK UP SAID WRAPPER, SAID TRANSFER DEVICE BEING MOVABLE TO AND FROM SAID TRANSFER POSITION, AND MEANS FOR RAISING A PORTION OF SAID CONVEYOR WITH SAID WRAPPER THEREON AT SAID TRANSFER POSITION TO RAISE THE WRAPPER INTO A POSITION WHERE IT IS PICKED UP BY SAID PICK-UP ELEMENTS WHEN THE TRANSFER DEVICE IS LOCATED AT THE TRANSFER POSITION. 